


Missing Him

by orphan_account



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Valdaya
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3693605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A pressure filled her throat as she thought of the weeks that stretched before them, the weeks which they would spend apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Missing Him

**Author's Note:**

> This is fiction, not reality.

Zendaya ran a towel through her hair, trying to rid it of the excess water from her shower before throwing it onto the black saucer chair in the corner of her room.  Turning towards her dresser to grab her brush, a picture on its surface caught her eye.

Alex had taken it during one of the many family dinners that had taken place prior to the first Sway performances last summer.  Knowing that he would be on tour for about a month afterwards, she and Val had been practically inseparable as they attempted to make every second together count.  They hadn’t been doing anything special, just sitting on the couch next to each other.  She had one of her legs folded under her, her body turned so that she could see him better as they talked.  She couldn’t remember what had been said, but apparently whatever it was had been incredibly funny because they both had broken out into full-body laughter.  Her nose was crinkled and her arm was wrapped around herself, her stomach hurting from how hard she was giggling. 

But looking at it now, that wasn’t what caught her attention.  No, her eyes were drawn to Val, whose eyes were crinkled and bright with amusement as he smiled at her.  It wasn’t anything special; they had probably had similar experiences with each other both before and after the shot was taken.  It was a perfectly ordinary moment, frozen forever in the decorative frame.  But for some reason, she was enraptured by the way they looked at each other when they thought no one was watching. 

Usually when she looked at pictures of them, especially when they were separated, a warm feeling of nostalgia filled her up.  That was not the case tonight.  Instead, a pressure filled her throat as she thought of the weeks that stretched before them, the weeks which they would spend apart. 

_She missed him._

Of course, she had missed him the last month that he had been on tour just as much as she had during the premiere of K.C. Undercover.  She had commented that he had been the only one missing and it was true.  For him to have been so supportive of her through the creation, filming, and production of the show and then for him to not be there physically to share the night with her…it had felt like a part of her had been misplaced. 

Why it had hit her so hard in that moment, simply looking at a photograph, she had no idea, but suddenly she felt the need to be more connected to him.  Picking up her phone from her bedside table, she swiped through all of the pictures and videos of them.  Choosing a random one from a Sway rehearsal, she posted it with the caption “Missing my fam @iamValC.” 

She had thought that that would help…but it didn’t.  Making a snap decision, she made her way back to the dresser.  Setting her phone on the top, she kneeled down and opened her bottom t-shirt drawer.  Taking in the folded stack in the back corner, she took a deep breath before lifting up the pile and placing it on the floor beside her. 

He had given her four of the five shirts as gifts, one for each birthday and Christmas since they had met.  They had started the tradition of giving gifts related to their hometowns early on into their season, but she hadn’t realized then just how important that would become to her.  When he was on the other side of the country, she felt a bit more connected to him knowing that she wore something that had originated there.  Now, whenever she missed him the most, she always wore one to bed.  It made her feel like he was somehow there with her. 

She lifted the top four off of the shirt on the bottom, putting them to the side.  Looking at the shirt that was left made her remember how she had asked him for it before they went their separate ways in December.  He hadn’t even looked at her like she was crazy.  Instead his eyes had softened as he handed it over, apparently understanding why she wanted it without her having to voice it. 

She reached out and unfolded it, running her fingers over it in order to smooth the fabric.  It was nothing special, just one of the many plain black cotton t-shirts that he wore all the time.  But he was the last one to wear it, changing into it for their first meet and greet before throwing it back into his bag to take home.  It still smelled like his cologne; she knew because she had taken it out multiple times to make sure.  But she hadn’t worn it yet, knowing that there would come a time when she would  _need_  to feel close to him and not just want it.

This was that time. 

She took off her shirt and replaced it with his.  It was slightly big on her, but she didn’t care.  She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing that they were his arms instead of hers.  She didn’t know how she was going to last another three weeks. 

Her phone buzzed on the wooden surface above her and she reached up to grab it, not bothering to stand up.  Tilting it down so she could read who was calling, her heart leapt at the name listed on the display and she quickly swiped her finger across screen. 

“Hi,” she breathed. 

“I miss you too, baby girl.”


End file.
